This summer in Dallas, I was honored to lead the financial planning profession's largest annual gathering of young financial advisors. The 2015 FPA NexGen Gathering conference brought record attendance, including entrepreneurs, experienced advisors from ensemble firms and new-to-the-profession junior advisors from across the country. We welcomed several industry leaders as well. The majority of participants came from independent RIAs, but there were also attendees with BD affiliations and a handful of young professionals in roles that support advisor businesses, e.g., coaches and technology providers. The conference provided an opportunity for participants to learn, share and grow. It is truly a conference unlike any other for a few key reasons.
The youth of participants brings a fresh passion and energy to the room. Attendees are excited about the possibilities and eager to learn. They are curious and inquisitive, and the conference provides a safe environment for them to share. Attendees often find encouragement from one another and are inspired to make a difference.
The vast majority of attendees make connecting with others a top priority. They want to develop their professional network. They are eager for peer-to-peer mentoring and to find a home within the profession. Many participants develop relationships that continue long after the conference in the form of study groups and friendships.
NexGen Gathering is about conversation. Gathering is not about polished presentations and CE credit (though the pre-conference did offer that opportunity). How many of us say the best part of any conference is the hallway and lunch conversations we have with other attendees? Well, Gathering is a weekend-long hallway conversation. Our facilitators are not presenters. They help facilitate attentive listening and intentional speaking. Session topics are not planned in advance, but are created by participants after brainstorming and voting. This helps ensure the content and conversations are relevant for each attendee. The conversation topics themselves are not unlike the issues and conversations we are discussing as a larger profession.
